Naruto Shippuden Evolution: Rise of the Betrayer
by Mechizere
Summary: Set in the fusion world between Naruto, Warcraft and Avatar, follow Naruto's adventures as he teams up with Aang to face new challenges, the first of which is the Betrayer, Illidan Stormrage, who plunges the four great nations into war!
1. Introduction

**Title**: Naruto Shippuden Evolution

**Book one**: Rise of the Betrayer – Introduction

**Author's note:** This story takes place in the world of Azeroth during the Naruto Shippuden time period. It is a crossover between Warcraft, Naruto and Avatar but the main focus will be on Naruto and his adventures. It is mostly an adventure story, but I may consider a few pairings later on. Please review so I can write better!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, Warcraft or Avatar. All three are properties of their owners, Masashi Kishimoto, Blizzard, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko respectively.

**Azeroth:**The world of Azeroth is a fantasy world which comprises of three major continents which are all home to a myriad of animals, spirits, supernatural forces and sentient species. The continent of the north is called Northrend, and it is a frozen wasteland that few live in. To the west, lies the continent of Kalimdor and to the east, the continent of Lordaeron. Both these continents are filled with dense forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, caves, plains and deserts, and are teeming with life. The sentient species that live in these two continents are the Humans, Night elves, Blood elves, Orcs, and Tauren. Of these, the human race is the most in number.

**Human civilization:** Humans live in several great nations, with the greatest of all human nations located in the land of Lordaeron. The other humans in Azeroth live in the Water nation, Fire nation, Wind nation and Earth nation, and are known collectively as shinobi. The shinobi base their society according to the element that their nation is associated with. They build their own hidden villages and have their own cultures and traditions. An example of a hidden village is Konoha, which is in the Fire nation. All four nations have two types of shinobi that serve as their armed forces. There are regular shinobi that use jutsus, and weapons, and there are also special shinobi called benders that can control a certain element, such as fire or water.

**The story so far: **Ever since his friend, Sasuke Uchiha, left to train under the snake-sannin Orochimaru, Naruto has undergone intensive training under Jiraiya, another of the legendary sannin to better his abilities and to become a more powerful shinobi. After three years, he has returned to Konoha to once again attempt to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches. Teaming up with his former sensei, Kakashi, and teammate Sakura, they formed Team Kakashi and through a series of encounters with the criminal shinobi organization, Akatsuki, managed to learn of Sasuke's location. At the same time, Sasuke had become increasingly aware that Orochimaru would soon try to take control of his body and made plans to kill the sannin, as he also felt that there was nothing more he could learn from him. After several months of repeat encounters with Team Kakashi, Sasuke confronted Orochimaru and managed to kill him using his cursed seal, absorbing Orochimaru in the process. He then promptly fled their lair to track down his brother, Itachi, whom he had wanted to kill all along. Catching up to Sasuke at the Valley of the End, the place where Sasuke had ultimately turned his back on his friends, Naruto fought Sasuke once more to bring him back to Konoha. The hour-long battle left both powerful shinobi drained, but Naruto managed to defeat Sasuke and convinced him to return to Konoha, where they would kill Itachi together. Naruto's promise of bringing Sasuke back had been fulfilled, and all was going to be well…

**The shadows return: **Peace had settled over the world, but certain individuals would make sure that it would not last. Danzo, the shady, influential leader of Anbu Root in Konoha, has plans to start another great Shinobi War. And in a dark corner of Azeroth, the wayward creature called Illidan Stormrage plots and waits to do his dark master's bidding…


	2. Premonitions

**Title**: Naruto Shippuden Evolution

**Book one**: Rise of the Betrayer – Chapter one: Premonitions

**Author's note:** This story takes place in the world of Azeroth during the Naruto Shippuden time period. It is a crossover between Warcraft, Naruto and Avatar but the main focus will be on Naruto and his adventures. It is mostly an adventure story, but I may consider a few pairings later on. Please review so I can write better! Also, please beware of spoilers! **Note: **_words in italics are either jutsus or spells. _I've reposted this chapter many times as I was unhappy with how it turned out previously, but this is the final product.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, Warcraft or Avatar. All three are properties of their owners, Masashi Kishimoto, Blizzard, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko respectively.

**Konoha Shinobi Memorial:**

Kakashi Hatake was crouched down in front of the memorial in the hidden leaf village, Konoha. He slowly moved his hand over one particular name out of the hundreds carved on the stone. Kakashi sighed and let his hand drop but remained where he was, not in a hurry to get anywhere. He let the rain soak him to the skin, lost in his own thoughts. A sudden 'poof' told him that he was not alone anymore. Turning around, he saw a Jiraiya with a smug grin on his face, arms crossed and sitting at ease on top of a large frog.

"I thought you would be here."Jiraiya said quietly, sliding off the frog's back and de-summoning it.

Kakashi straightened up stood next to Jiraiya, still keeping his eye trained on the memorial stone. "All healed up hm?" Kakashi asked the toad sannin, fixing Jiraiya with his characteristic lazy look.

"Yep," Jiraiya answered, grinning," I was hurt pretty badly but good old Tsunade managed to fix me up. I'm almost fully recovered now. By the way, those students of yours have really become something haven't they?" A smile tugged at Jiraiya's mouth as he remembered how well Naruto had fought together with him.

"Well, you can take most of the credit you know," Kakashi told Jiraiya, smiling beneath his mask," you were the one who taught Naruto all those techniques."

"Heh, guess you can say that." Jiraiya said with a swagger.

Kakashi sweat-dropped at his lack of humility. "Uh…" Kakashi scratched at the back of his head, trying to think of something to say.

Jiraiya and Kakashi stood silently in front of the memorial stone for quite some time before the sannin remembered what he had come for.

"Oh yeah!" Jiraiya said suddenly. "I needed to tell you something."

"Eh?"

Jiraiya grinned. "Naruto and Sasuke have just been discharged from hospital. They're at Ichiraku ramen shop with Sakura right now."

"I see." Kakashi said as he turned to leave the memorial. "I guess I'll go and pay them a visit."

**Ichiraku Ramen Shop:**

"Ah ow!" Naruto yelped as he tried to hold the chopsticks in his heavily bandaged hand. Sakura who was seated opposite him looked at him worriedly, as he fumbled with them, wincing whenever his broken fingers pressed too hard on the wood.

"Naruto, you sure you don't want help with those?" Sakura asked him when her blonde teammate failed for the fifth time to get a firm grip on his chopsticks.

"Leave him be Sakura," Sasuke told her," I'm sure Naruto can eat on his own."

"That's not the point! If he keeps on trying like this, there's a high chance that he'll end up breaking his fingers again!"

"Heh, don't worry Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned as he continued to grapple with the two pieces of wood. "I can do this! A couple of broken fingers aren't going to stop me from eating my ramen! Dattebayo!" The blonde went back to wrestling with his chopsticks.

Sakura shook her head at his stubbornness and stretched out a hand to get a pair of chopsticks for Sasuke. The raven-haired boy's left arm was in a cast, and his right was also swathed in thick bandages. Both her teammates had returned from their previous mission with serious wounds. Even though they had been discharged from the hospital, they still had yet to recover completely. Naruto still could not make full use of his right hand, while Sasuke was worse off: not being able to use his arms at all. Overall, Naruto seemed to be making a speedier recovery than the Uchiha. 'The reason is obvious though', thought Sakura, 'the Kyuubi's chakra in Naruto must be speeding up his recovery. '

Sakura smiled as she picked up a few strands of ramen noodles and held them in front of Sasuke's mouth. "Looks like I have to feed you for now. Open wide!"

Sasuke scowled, his sharingan eyes narrowing at her. "Don't bother Sakura. I don't plan on eating _that_." He glared at the ramen in front of him, causing Naruto to quickly swallow the noodles he was eating and blurt out, "I don't get it teme, what's your problem with ramen?"

"It's not the ramen. It's the way that you're eating it which puts me off." Sasuke replied.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke, cheeks bulging with ramen noodles.

Sakura giggled at the sight and continued to hold up the ramen for Sasuke. "Come on Sasuke. If you want to recover, you'll have to eat more."

Sasuke glared at her. "You just want to humiliate me right?"

Sakura, who was already accustomed to his glares, just smiled innocently at him. "What makes you say that?"

Naruto burst out laughing. Sasuke immediately took it as an insult and, looking murderous, tried to reach for his katana. Sakura didn't want any bloodshed in the ramen shop, so she quickly snatched up some more noodles and stuffed them into the hyperactive ninja's mouth. "Gaak!" Naruto choked and fell silent, waving his arms about and looking very fish-like as he 

tried to swallow. When he finally managed to do so, he was very red in the face. "Sakura-chan! What's that for?" He whined, massaging his neck.

"Saving your life?" She shrugged. Sasuke smirked and muttered, "Dobe."

This time, it was Naruto's turn to glare at the Uchiha. "What did you say teme?"

"Hn, I said dobe."

"Teme"

"Dobe"

"Teme"

"Dobe"

Sakura sighed as the two continued their name-calling. Seriously, the two of them could be so child-like sometimes! Well, boys would be boys. She gave up trying to get Sasuke to eat, and plonked the noodles back into the bowl. She would have to remember to get the money for the food back from Sasuke later. Sakura leaned back in her chair, thinking about how much things had changed. She had been overjoyed when Naruto finally managed to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. As he had slain Orochimaru, the village elders forgave him for leaving the village and had almost immediately reinstated him as a shinobi of Konoha. The only thing that made his homecoming sweeter was that Sasuke had revealed his feelings for her, and asked if she could be his girlfriend. Sakura, who had never given up on him even after all the three years, smiled as she remembered the pure elation she had felt when she heard him say those words and of course agreed. Team 7 was finally back again, and soon enough, they had to leave for their first major mission together.

Sakura clenched her fist tightly and shut her eyes, trembling slightly when she recalled that fateful mission to Amegakure. The familiar feeling of sadness overcame her, as the two battles that had taken place replayed themselves in her head. Jiraiya had tracked the Akatsuki headquarters to that war-torn city, and was soon discovered and attacked by Konan and then Pein, the Akatsuki leader. As the fight dragged on, Jiraiya knew that he was outmatched and sent for help. Tsunade sent Team 7, minus Kakashi who was away on another mission, to aid him.

Naruto joined Jiraiya to fight Pein while Sasuke, overwhelmed by his desire to kill Itachi, broke off from the group to find him. Sakura followed him, and they tracked down Itachi to an old pagoda tower located in the forest outside the city. In the following battles which ensued, Naruto and Jiraiya came to a shocking revelation about Pein while Sasuke and Sakura almost succeeded in killing the older Uchiha.

**Flashback: The last few moments of Jiraiya's and Naruto's battle**

It was pouring. The tall spires of Amegakure's skyscrapers stretched impossibly into the sky, with a maze of pipes and ledges clinging to each of their sides. The city was in fact a maze by itself. Amegakure's streets crossed one another frequently and the buildings rose haphazardly out from the ground, some tall, others taller still. The sky always hung like a dark cloud over the metallic city, and it was under this cold, drab-grey atmosphere that two shinobi were fighting for their lives against the one who called himself 'god'. The one who possessed the Rinnegan, the most powerful and dangerous kekkai genkai known to the shinobi world. Pein.

The intense battle had dragged on for more than two hours. Jiraiya and Naruto knew that they could not afford to keep this up. Up till now, the battle so far had only consisted of them trading jutsus with little physical combat, so there were no injuries yet, but their chakra was almost exhausted. Even with the two of them together, the fight was still going badly for them. Pein seemed able to keep up with all their attacks, effectively making them unable to damage him at all. He simply did not leave any opening for Naruto or Jiraiya to take advantage of. But still, they were fighting on. They had to evade Pein somehow, and make a run for it. But the 'god' of Amegakure did not seem intent on letting them leave. Perched on top of one of the ledges around him, Pein surveyed the two shinobi below him and narrowed his eyes as Jiraiya was helped up to his feet by Naruto, the latter glaring up at him with the same defiant and determined look that he had maintained throughout the entire fight.

"Come on Ero-sennin," Naruto growled," we can't die now! Not like this!"

Jiraiya grunted with the effort to stand, and was bent double, hands on his knees, panting heavily. 'My chakra's almost gone,' the sannin thought, scanning the area for another escape plan. 'Or better yet,' Jiraiya grimaced as he straightened up slowly,' a plan to kill this guy. But how can you hope to kill someone who knows how to use all the jutsus in the world? We've got to find a chance to attack, and fast!'

"That's more like it!" Naruto yelled, fixing his attention back to Pein, who watched the duo with an amused smirk on his lips. Pein suddenly leaned forward, forming a set of hand seals which were too fast to follow, and almost immediately, shouted out: "_Suiton, water dragon missile!"_

The pipes behind the Akatsuki leader shuddered and burst, torrents of water splashing and gathering below him. Seconds later, the large pool of water coalesced and took the shape of a giant dragon, spiraling around Pein, hissing and roaring.

"Uh!" Naruto gritted his teeth as he saw the size of Pein's jutsu. The giant liquid dragon was now more than fifty metres tall, fueled by Pein's seemingly limitless chakra.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted suddenly. "This is our chance! Summon Gamabunta!"

Naruto grinned, having realized what Jiraiya's plan was. Biting his thumb and smearing his blood on the ground, Naruto spread his hand and yelled out, _"Summoning Jutsu!" _A giant frog of epic proportions appeared in a large cloud of ninja smoke. Naruto had summoned Gamabunta the Frog Boss, complete with a giant short sword strapped on his back, a giant triad boss robe draped around him, a giant smoking pipe in his mouth and tons of attitude.

Gamabunta puffed a large cloud of smoke into the air and swiveled his two large, round eyes towards Pein, who was staring at the him incredulously. "So Jiraiya, Naruto. Having some trouble eh?" Gamabunta croaked haughtily, puffing up his chest.

"You think you can defeat god with that?" Pein sneered and directed the dragon to come crashing down on his enemies. As the giant form drew nearer and nearer to them, the deafening sound of crashing water pounding in his ears, Naruto made a big leap and landed on top of Gamabunta, making a series of hand signs before yelling out," _Toad oil bullet_!"

A huge stream of toad oil, brown and slimy, exploded at high pressure from the Frog Boss' mouth, meeting the water dragon head on. "Oil breaks up water!" Naruto said triumphantly as the dragon was destroyed, section by section, water splashing everywhere. The force of the collapsing water striking the buildings around the combatants brought down several of them, causing rubble crashing down on the street. Meanwhile, under the cover of the spraying water, Jiraiya was preparing his jutsu. Too late Pein realized that his water dragon wasn't going to hold up. As he prepared to get jump of the way, Jiraiya came rushing up to meet him, arm drawn backward, fingertips burning with the purple fire of…

"No!" Pein screamed, raising his arms in a futile attempt to block Jiraiya's chakra sealing technique.

"_Five-prong seal_!" Jiraiya rammed his fist into Pein's stomach. The impact lifted him off his feet, sending the Akatsuki leader crashing to the other side of the street. He slammed into a building with a loud crack and slid down, seemingly knocked out. At once, Naruto de-summoned Gamabunta and ran over to join his sensei who was now slumped on the ground.

"We got him! Ero-sennin, we got him! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted as he stopped down to drape Jiraiya's arm around his shoulders, helping the sannin to get to his feet. Jiraiya flashed his student a wide grin, despite suffering from chakra exhaustion. "Yeah. Good job…let's get out of here…find the others. That was lucky…I just used up all my chakra," Jiraiya gasped, clutching at his chest, wheezing and panting with the effort to stand. Naruto nodded and prepared to stagger out of the area with him when a sudden movement behind them stopped them cold. There was a sudden shift in the rubble across the street, and a figure rose out of the collapsed concrete, brushing clouds of dust off his Akatsuki cloak.

"Damn!" Naruto quickly spun around, drawing a kunai from the holster around his leg.

"He's still not…" Jiraiya started to say, but stopped immediately when the dust cleared to reveal Pein. But Pein was Pein no longer. With his chakra apparently sealed, the Akatsuki leader's jutsu could no longer hide his true face. In place of the heavily pierced face and orange hair, the face that stared back at Jiraiya and Naruto was none other than…

"Minato!" Jiraiya said in shock. Naruto froze at the sight of his 'dead' father. His arms dropped to his sides, disbelief evident on his face. The air seemed to be contracting around him. It was getting difficult to breathe…

The previous Yondaime of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, fixed his son and sensei with a wide smile. "Hello sensei."

The silence dragged on before Jiraiya managed to choke out one word," How?"

"Hm?" Minato continued smiling, standing ill at ease in front of them. The rain was still falling, but less heavily now. Jiraiya overcame his initial shock and shook his head, trying to take in what he was seeing. 'Impossible! Minato gave his life to seal the Kyuubi in Naruto! How could he still be alive? Why is he in Akatsuki?'

"What's the matter sensei?" Minato asked casually, sweeping some rainwater off his face, reaching into the folds of his Akatsuki cloak with his other hand.

"How are you…still alive? What are you doing here?" Jiraiya demanded.

"That's surprising," Minato smiled again, still keeping one hand in the cloak," I thought after all these years, you of all people, would be happy to see me."

Jiraiya turned briefly to look at Naruto, and saw that he had sunk to his knees, frozen in place, eyes wide and staring. "Answer the question!" Jiraiya whipped his head around angrily. He suddenly choked and collapsed once again on the wet ground, gasping as the strain from the battle finally caught up with him.

"You'll figure it out sooner or later." The ex-Yondaime brought his hand out from his cloak, and Jiraiya saw that it was holding a kunai. It had a very familiar seal wrapped around the handle.

"Or not." Minato threw the kunai at the ground, and it stuck there, in between Naruto and Jiraiya. "I can't really say much," He said, letting his hands fall back to his sides in his casual stance," Madara wouldn't want that now would he?"

Jiraiya almost jumped up in surprise." I knew it! He's got something to do with this right? Answer me!"

"Too bad sensei, your time in this world is up." Minato smiled at him.

"What are you…?"

Minato finished his hand seal. "_Flying thunder god_!"

A second later, Minato was gone. Several translucent, barely visible images of him flashed in front of Jiraiya, coming towards him at high speed. There was a whirl of wind, and Minato reappeared where he originally was, keeping his bloodied kunai back into his cloak, the images of him disappearing, fading away. He turned and leapt out of the street, darting from building to building until he was out of sight.

Jiraiya had been left for dead. A vicious slash was drawn from the base of his neck to his stomach, and fresh red blood was flowing from the fatal wound. Naruto had been spared by Minato's attack, with a deep horizontal cut across his arms and chest. The Akatsuki leader needed the Kyuubi in his body after all. Both master and student lay where they had fallen, red rapidly staining the ground…

Author's note: How was it? I hope you liked my first chapter. I'm so excited about how my first fanfic will turn out. Anyways, I'll be covering Itachi's and Sasuke's battle in the next chapter, to be updated soon. Thanks for reading.


	3. Thoughts

**Title**: Naruto Shippuden Evolution

**Book one**: Rise of the Betrayer – Chapter two: Thoughts

**Author's note:** This story takes place in the world of Azeroth during the Naruto Shippuden time period. It is a crossover between Warcraft, Naruto and Avatar but the main focus will be on Naruto and his adventures. It is mostly an adventure story, but I may consider a few pairings later on. Please review so I can write better! Also, please beware of spoilers! **Note: **_words in italics are either jutsus or spells. _

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, Warcraft or Avatar. All three are properties of their owners, Masashi Kishimoto, Blizzard, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko respectively.

**Flashback: Final moments of Sasuke's and Itachi's battle**

"Sakura! Move!"

The pink-haired teen reacted quickly to Sasuke's shout, and leapt out of the way, sliding to a halt behind one of the giant concrete walls around the top of the shrine. Once she was gone from the immediate area in front of him, Sasuke formed his hand seals and took a deep breath, Sharingan eyes blazing at Itachi who was standing about sixty metres in front of him.

"_Katon! Dragon flame jutsu_!" With a shriek, a great gout of flame shot out of his mouth and travelled at high speed toward Itachi. The flame, a massive, solid pillar of fire hurtled toward the elder Uchiha, who closed his eyes and then opened them a fraction of a second later.

Sasuke recoiled at the sight. Itachi's eyes had become blood red, the Sharingan symbols rearranging themselves into a spiral-triangle like shape. The blood vessels in his eyes had become clearly visible, and as Sasuke's jutsu got ever closer to him, he shut his left eye and, glaring at the oncoming flames, unleashed his technique. At once, fresh dark blood started to run down from his eye, trickling down his face.

'His eye…it's bleeding!' Sakura observed silently in shock. Just then, with just a metre to go before Itachi was about to get hit, black flames exploded in the air in front of him. There was a raging battle being fought as the two different colored fires collided, the flames flickering and hissing. Amazingly, Itachi's black flames were pushing Sasuke's jutsu's flames back, inch by inch, and a split second later, the normal fire was overcome completely by the mysterious black flames. "No way!" Sakura gasped, as Sasuke was forced to jump out of the way. The black flames smashed into the ground, continuing to burn with their insane intensity. Itachi had paused, panting heavily, and no new flames had formed. 'That justsu…what could it be? A Sharingan ability?' Sasuke thought frantically, wiping some sweat which had formed on his forehead. It was incredible. The flames were so strong that they had overcome his jutsu in seconds, and Itachi seemed to be able to control where the flames would appear. How was all this possible?

Itachi's cold voice jerked Sasuke out of his train of thought. "That was a Sharingan ability. It's called Amaterasu, and as you have seen just now, it is so strong, it can consume everything it touches." Itachi had one hand over his bleeding eyes, staring at Sasuke through a gap in his fingers. "Whatever I look at will burn."

"Whatever you look at will burn…" Sasuke repeated softly, raising a hand to strike the cursed seal symbol on his neck. At once, the familiar curse-markings started to spread on his body, glowing red, then slowly turning to black. Itachi's eyes widened slightly, and then dropped his hands to his sides, shutting his eyes again. 'Oh no!' Sakura thought,' he's going to use the flames! Sasuke still needs time to transform!'

Without hesitation, Sakura ran at Itachi from behind the wall, gathering chakra into her fist and then, once she was within striking distance, she threw a punch at his back. If she had thought that Itachi would be too busy preparing his jutsu that he could not react in time she was terribly mistaken. Itachi swiftly turned to one side, his cloak whirling. A moment later, his leg came sweeping at Sakura's, trying to knock her down. Sakura, being a medic, was more than capable of dodging enemy attacks, so she reacted just as quickly, jumping above Itachi's attack and aiming towards his head with her leg for a devastating kick as she descended towards him. Itachi was unfazed by the imminent threat and leaned backwards, letting Sakura's leg pass in front of him. Before the girl could land on the ground, he grabbed hold of her ankle and swung her over his head, bringing her crashing heavily on the ground in front of him. Sakura winced as she collided painfully with the ground, rolling quickly to one side to avoid Itachi's kick a split second later. All the while, Itachi had countered her attack with both eyes closed!

But the momentary diversion by Sakura had been enough for Sasuke, who had finished his cursed seal transformation but maintained his human form, now sporting a set of demonic wings behind him. Itachi looked up sharply as Sasuke came charging forward, wings spread wide and a crackling black chidori in his hands. "Raaaaaaaahh!" Sasuke howled, leaping above Itachi and coming down at him with his chidori attack. Itachi, still shutting his eyes, focused chakra into the soles of his feet and leapt backwards, the chakra propelling him backward by thirty metres. Sasuke changed course, and continued running straight at him. At that moment, Itachi opened his right eye, and the black flames appeared in front of him. Sakura looked up, half expecting to see Sasuke getting hit by the flames that he had apparently flew into, but Sasuke was already gone.

"…." Itachi said nothing as his black flames only burned the air. Sasuke appeared in a flash behind him, his chidori slamming into his back. It was too early to start celebrating though. Itachi was lifted off his feet by the impact, but then his body seemed to fall in slow motion, doubling up. Sasuke's eyes widened as he recognized Itachi's substitution jutsu. Black crows formed out from Itachi's falling 'body' and flew behind Sasuke, quickly forming back into human shape. Itachi lashed out with a foot, hitting…nothing. "Ngh." Itachi muttered as he scanned the area for Sasuke with his left eye, keeping his right tightly shut, the blood streaming down his face. Sasuke's cursed seal had empowered him with superhuman speed, and as Sakura realized, he was using his speed to render Itachi's deadly Amaterasu technique useless.

"Heh," Sasuke appeared again, rushing around the battle ground at high speed, circling Itachi rapidly and forming another chidori," what use is your jutsu, if you can't even catch me in your line of sight?"

Itachi looked concerned for a moment, but that expression was quickly gone as he opened his right eye. "Sasuke, watch out!" Sakura screamed as black flames started to appear behind Sasuke. As he flew, he turned to see the black flames catching up on him, eyes widening. 'How?' Sasuke thought frantically, trying to increase his speed. Then the black flames were on him. It all happened in slow motion. The black flames leapt oh Sasuke's right wing, and spread to his lower body. Sasuke let out a yell and collapsed writhing on the ground. Sakura stared wide-eyed, as the flames spread to Sasuke's other wing and legs. Itachi appeared in front of Sasuke, his eyes closing briefly. The flames disappeared, leaving half of Sasuke remaining. The rest of his body was a pile of blackened soot and flesh. Sakura clutched at her chest, feeling very weak. She crumpled to the ground, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. "No no no no!" She screamed, and then, tears brimming in her eyes, she got up and rushed at Itachi, pulling her arm back for a punch.

"You killed Sasuke! You killed him!" Sakura threw a punch at Itachi, the tears blinding her, stinging her eyes. She didn't care anymore. Losing Sasuke like that was just too much for her to bear. She just wanted to hurt Itachi, injure him, kill him. Itachi, who was bending down as if to remove Sasuke's eyes, looked up at her, his face expressionless. Once she was near, he avoided her half-hearted attack and slammed a fist into her stomach, causing Sakura to double up, reeling backwards from the pain. Itachi was on his feet, beside her the next moment, and easily caught the next punch that Sakura had aimed poorly at him. Itachi turned and rammed his knee into the girl's stomach, forcing her down on her knees, hacking and coughing. Sakura gagged, and coughed up some blood, which trickled down the side 

of her mouth. Her mind was reeling, her vision unfocused as she waited for the finishing blow. But it never came.

Itachi suddenly grabbed Sakura, using one hand to hold her wrists together behind her back, and the other to wrap around her shoulders, keeping her in front of him, and then leaping backwards. Sakura barely had time to ask herself what in the world could be happening, before a colossal fireball, shaped as a huge dragon head smashed out of the ground where Sasuke's body lay. It continued upwards and quickly disappearing into the grey clouds above. A huge, smoldering hole was left in the ground in front of Sakura and Itachi, who was still holding her tightly. Sakura, stunned that Itachi had saved her from the fireball attack, peered into the hole, her spirits lifting as she saw Sasuke, in the room below.

Sasuke had meant for Itachi to 'hit' him with his Amaterasu. Once he collapsed, Sasuke had let the flames burn a hole through the ground and used his own substitution technique to escape into the room below. Once there, he had used this chance to prepare for his ultimate attack. Sasuke leapt out of the hole, landing on the extreme far side of the shrine roof. Sakura looked up suddenly at the sky, which had become dark grey. A deafening blast of thunder was followed by a huge arc of lightning that lit up the sky. Rain started to fall, first a drizzle, then it became a torrential downpour.

Lightning crossed the sky again, thunder rumbling above. The entire ground was shaking. Itachi nodded slowly, almost resignedly as he spoke," You used that fire jutsu to superheat the air above us, creating a giant thundercloud?"

"That's right Itachi." Sasuke sneered, his arm crackling with electricity.

Sakura watched the two brothers in silence. Itachi was still holding on to her, but she did not seem to have the energy to move anymore. Her eyes were trained on Sasuke; whose face was now every bit like a person possessed who was. He had a murderous look on his face, lips curled into a cruel smile and killing intent was pouring out of him. Sakura shivered, her body trembling. She had never seen Sasuke like this before…it was wrong.

"It's over," Sasuke said coldly," I'm going to gather the lightning in the cloud with my chakra and unleash it all on you with one attack. This is the end for you, Itachi."

Sasuke's face was impossible to read. Sakura's mind was racing. 'But that means…I'll be caught in the attack!'

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed at him, trying to make him come to his senses. 'Is he really going to kill me as well? Just for his revenge?'

Itachi looked at Sasuke calmly. The lightning was gathering above him in the shape of a huge lion, illuminating the entire area in near-blinding white light.

"This attack will devastate the entire area. I will be killed in an instant. She will die as well." Itachi told Sasuke calmly, observing the lightning crackling in the sky. He fixed his brother with a piercing look, his eyes giving nothing away.

Sasuke acted as he had not heard. Smirking, he lifted his hand up. The lightning chakra danced at his fingertips. The lion shaped lightning above snarled and crackled.

"Sasuke!" Sakura choked, tears falling freely now. 'Was this how it was all going to end?'

"Disappear with the lightning…" Sasuke said darkly.

Time seemed to stand still.

Itachi said nothing. Sakura looked at Sasuke, almost pleadingly.

Sasuke brought his hand down.

**End of Flashback**

**Ichiraku Ramen Shop:**

The rest was nothing but a blur. Sasuke's _Kirin _attack shook the shrine to its foundations. To be precise, it _blasted_ the shrine to its foundations. Itachi saved both himself and Sakura with his last and final jutsu. Summoning a giant ethereal warrior using his _Susano_ jutsu, Itachi blocked most of the damage from _Kirin_, but he and Sakura were still injured by the jutsu. A few minutes later, Itachi succumbed to his apparent injuries sustained during the fight and chakra exhaustion, collapsing to the ground after using _Susano_ to seal Sasuke's chakra. Sasuke, although critically injured by Itachi's final attack with _Susano_, seized the chance and attempted to run Itachi through with his katana. He was stopped by Sakura, who held him back and told him that she did not want to see him become a murderer like Itachi. Both of them fell unconscious soon after, also because of chakra exhaustion and injury. It was then that Team Gai arrived at the scene with Kakashi, who were all dispatched by Tsunade after Naruto and the rest failed to return. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Jiraiya were immediately rushed back to Konoha, where they were all treated for their wounds. Sakura was the first to recover, and spent the next two days by Naruto's and Sasuke's side, taking care of them and helping them to recuperate. Those two days had really taken a toll on her emotionally. Naruto was suffering from shock, and refused to talk to anyone. Everything he had believed in had just come crashing down. He just stared blankly up at the ceiling, eyes unfocused and oblivious to what was happening around him. Similarly, Sasuke also kept to himself, refusing anybody's company and insisted on being left alone. Sakura guessed that he was ashamed about what he had almost done. Although she had told him repeatedly that she did not blame him for what had happened, he was still lost in his own thoughts, continuing to blame himself for almost killing her. During this time, Sakura simply did not know how to comfort the two of them, and had broken down crying many times. Kakashi avoided them, and so did their friends, who were told by Tsunade to 'shut up and leave them alone'.

Eventually, the period of emotional turmoil had passed, and they had been declared well enough to leave the hospital. They were back to their usual selves, especially Naruto, and had decided to eat out at Ichiraku ramen shop. 'And so, here we are…' Sakura concluded her thoughts and lifted her head, feeling a hand on top of hers. Her eyes met Sasuke's and he looked genuinely worried for once. Naruto was also looking at her, tilting his head, cheeks bulging with noodles.

"Sakura, something bothering you?" Sasuke asked her with some concern. Naruto nodded vigorously in agreement to his question, the stray noodle that snaked out from his mouth flapping around.

Sakura managed a small smile, wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

"I'm fine Sasuke. Really."

"You're a terrible liar." Sasuke told her, smirking. He managed to lift one hand and put in around her shoulders. Sakura smiled contentedly and scooted closer to him, leaning on his shoulder.

"Ow." Sasuke said in monotone as her head bumped into a bruise on his shoulder. Sakura giggled and held his less injured hand in hers.

"Teme!" Naruto suddenly put his chopsticks down, squinting at the two of them and pouting.

"What dobe?" Came the irritated reply.

"Don't get all romantic and stuff here!" Naruto sulked. A minute later, he held his head in his hands and groaned. "I wish Hinata-chan was here!"

Sasuke and Sakura smiled at his outburst. "I wonder what Kakashi would say if he saw us now?"

"What?" Sasuke inquired with a raised eyebrow."Something like, important shinobi rule: ninja must not have any feelings? That's just nonsense. Anyway… Kakashi used to have feeling…"

Poof! Kakashi appeared in a cloud of ninja smoke. "Yo!" He greeted cheerfully, squatting on the table.

"Speak of the devil…" Naruto muttered.

Kakashi surveyed his students with a crinkled eye, obviously smiling. "So, all okay?"

"Hn."

"Yep."

"Of course! Dattebayo!"

Kakashi twitched.

Author's note: So so? Do tell me what you think! Next chapter up soon…stay tuned!


	4. Shadows

**Title**: Naruto Shippuden Evolution

**Book one**: Rise of the Betrayer – Chapter three: Shadows

**Author's note:** This story takes place in the world of Azeroth during the Naruto Shippuden time period. It is a crossover between Warcraft, Naruto and Avatar but the main focus will be on Naruto and his adventures. It is mostly an adventure story, but I may consider a few pairings later on. Please review so I can write better! Also, please beware of spoilers! **Note: **_words in italics are either jutsus or spells. _So…I decided to change a _little_ of the original story. See if you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, Warcraft or Avatar. All three are properties of their owners, Masashi Kishimoto, Blizzard, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko respectively.

**The Maelstrom: **

Heavy rain lashed the island. It was forever trapped in a tempest, surrounded on all sides by violent, uncrossable seas, and assaulted by wind and rain. Thus, it was the perfect prison for The Betrayer, Illidan Stormrage. For many centuries, he had been chained in darkness, in a vast underground chamber many miles below the island. Unable to see, hear or feel. Unable to tap on the energies of his coveted magic. And, as everyone had thought, unable to bring any more calamities to the world.

Illidan was condemned to remain where he was until the end of all time for the great sin that he had committed. However, his imprisonment would not last for long…

Four figures dashed at high speed from tree to tree. Expertly avoiding any low-hanging branches while still maintaining their pace, they made haste to the great temple at the centre of the island. The blinding rain and thick mist shrouded their surroundings, but the four mysterious shinobi easily reached their objective. Stopping just at the edge of the clearing where the giant structure rose like a spire into the dark sky, the four shinobi gathered at the base of one of the trees, huddling around their leader. They were all dressed for the weather, wearing thick waterproof cloaks, and sporting wide straw hats bearing the hidden rain village symbol.

Their leader spoke first.

"Alright. It's time to receive our instructions."

All four raised their arms and formed a different hand seal each. The leader lifted his head and glanced at his comrades. They nodded, and then cast their jutsu in unison. There was a brief flash of light and when it cleared, a hazy, shadowy figure had joined their ranks.

The astral projection of Danzo looked at Furido, Fudo, Fuuka and Fuen. His scarred and bandaged face carried no emotion as he started to speak.

"I see you have all made it safely?" He inquired.

"Well…except for the fact that our boat got smashed up and that we almost drowned…yes."

Danzo frowned. "Furido, I have no time for your jokes. Time is short. You must complete this mission as quickly as possible."

The others glanced at each other and fidgeted uncomfortably in the freezing rain. "What do we have to do anyway?" Fuen asked impatiently. The rain was really getting on his nerves.

"Your mission is simple," Danzo continued, "you are to force your way into the Great Temple, and fight your way to the lowest floor. After you have accomplished this, proceed to the locking mechanism in the far wall and channel your combined chakra into it. That will open the entrance to the Betrayer's prison chamber. Free him, and bring him to the top of the Temple. Summon me again so that I can get him to set the next part of the plan into motion."

With that, the image of Danzo shimmered and disappeared. Furido sighed and looked up at the imposing sight of the Great Temple. "Well, that doesn't seem too hard." He said sarcastically. "We're about to break the most dangerous criminal in history out of the largest prison on the planet."

**The Great Temple:**

A giant iron gate more than thirty metres across and twenty metres high barred the way into the Temple, but behind this formidable-looking obstacle, the security was lax. Only a handful Night Elf Sentinels were stationed in the entire Temple itself. After all, there had never been any attacks on the Temple throughout its ten-century-long history.

The two Night Elves were stationed just behind the gate on their regular night patrol. A loud boom, followed by an ominous pounding sound at the gate caused the two Night Elves to end their conversation and snap to attention immediately.

"What was that?" The first looked worriedly at her companion. The furious pounding continued and the gate was starting to shake violently. The second backed away slowly. "Maybe I should alert mistress Shadowsong." She said, turning to run down the hall.

She hadn't taken two steps back when the entire gate shook one more time and fell inwards with a huge crash. Now without a barrier to keep it out, the tempest outside attacked the Great Temple with all its fury, extinguishing all the torches on the walls and tearing chunks off the stone walls, tossing them everywhere. The two Night Elves struggled to raise their bows, shielding their faces against the wind. The first one was closest to the collapsed gate, and saw to her horror that the gate hadn't been simply knocked down by the wind as she had previously thought. There were multiple dents in the two metre thick gate, meaning that the colossal gate had been, in fact, _punched_ down. Before the two Night Elves could react any further, two kunai flew with deadly accuracy into their necks, sending them crashing to the floor.

"Knock knock." Fudo stepped over the two dead Night Elves and bent down, grabbing hold of the edge of the gate and lifting it up slowly, yelling with the effort. Furido and the rest hurried into the Great Temple, shrugging off their cloaks and hats, just as Fudo heaved the gate back into place, blocking out nature's fury once more. The muscular man turned to his teammates, looking very annoyed.

"What? I don't get a single word of thanks?"

"Hey, I took out the guards. I deserve more credit." Fuuka said haughtily, sweeping her head from side to side, trying to shake out the water trapped in her long hair.

Fudo looked ready to pout. "But they were weaklings!"

Furido ignored them both and lead the way down the spacious main hall. The huge walls of the bare hall bore many magnificent carvings and the distinctive curves and arches of Night Elf architecture. Pillars rose to meet the ceiling tens of metres above their heads, and torches hung at regular intervals from brackets in the walls. Looming ahead of them was a giant archway, with stone stairs leading down into the darkness.

"We made it," Furido addressed his three companions," our objective is directly below us."

Taking a step forward, the long white-haired man jerked backward instinctively the next second, just as a sharp, female voice rang out across the silent hall.

"_Fan of knives_!"

A whistling sound, then about fifty razor-sharp daggers rained down on top of them. Furido raised his staff, swinging them about with expert precision, knocking any incoming projectiles away while Fuen and Fuuka sidestepped, dodging the thrown daggers easily. Fudo simply stood where he was, and the lone dagger that hit him in the chest bounced off his iron-hard skin. Once the attack was over, the floor riddled with daggers, Furido looked up, beaming at the Night Elf woman who was crouched on one of the ledges above them. She was a Night Elf Warden, he guessed, now taking a good look at her. Wielding a jagged wheel-like weapon known as a chakram blade and dressed in tight leather armour with metal plates here and there, the Warden also had a dark green cloak draped around her and a mask which covered half her face, designed in such a way that it gave her a fierce, feline look.

"Hi," Furido began good-naturedly, but was swiftly cut off by the Night Elf's words.

"Trespassers," She hissed, holding her weapon in front of her," you shall go no further or risk my wrath."

Fuen laughed softly as more Night Elf Sentinels appeared from the shadows. They were archers and huntresses, bows and glaives at the ready. Furido, Fuuka, Fudo and Fuen were all surrounded, outnumbered ten to one.

"I see. You used your _shadowmeld_ abilities to sneak up on us. No wonder we didn't sense you sooner." Fuen said, drawing out his scroll and calligraphy brush, scribbling furiously.

"Indeed," Furido held out his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender," You got us."

Behind him, Fuen continued to draw on the scroll held out in front of him while Fudo and Fuuka stared disinterested at their aggressors. The Warden narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"What is he doing?" She snapped, jerking her head and motioning to Fuen who was now halfway through a landscape drawing on his scroll.

"Relax," Furido said, turning to see how far Fuen was to completing his jutsu.

"He isn't doing anything…"

A moment later, Fuen finished his drawing, finishing the last stroke with a dramatic sweep of his arm. Robes whirling, he hurled the scroll on the ground at his feet, and formed a hand seal.

"Yet." Furido grinned.

There was a loud poof, and instantly, black kanji markings spread out from the scroll across the floor like a net. Before any of the Night Elves could react, huge stone pillars smashed out of the ground, continuing to rise until they struck the ceiling. Dust and rubble cascaded down, and when the shaking stopped, visibility returned, revealing that the interlocking rock pillars had formed a wall around the four intruding shinobi.

Furido grinned, looking at the walls of rock which had formed a barrier between them and the Night Elves on the other side.

"Nice work. Now let's get down to business."

On the other side of the rocks, Maiev brushed off some dust and loose stones from her armour, shaking her head to get rid of the minor concussions she had just gotten. Coughing, she peered around the now-ruined hall, taking in the smashed pillars, and the dead bodies of her comrades. They had all been crushed under the rubble, while she had been lucky to escape death from that sudden jutsu. Narrowing her eyes, Maiev retrieved her chakram blade from the ground next to her and formed a quick hand sign. 'Let's see what those intruders are up to.' Maiev thought fiercely.

"_Blink_!"

There was a quick flash, and Maiev teleported to the other side of the barrier, facing the stairs. The four shinobi were long gone, most probably now headed toward the entrance to the Betrayer's prison, Maiev reckoned. She hurried down into the darkness, her ire up at the thought of her dangerous prisoner walking free once again. 'No, not when I'm still her. Not if I have anything to say about it.' Maiev thought, rounding the corner to find herself in a high-vaulted chamber, with a huge locking mechanism in the wall. The mechanism was designed in the shape of a great coiled, feathered serpent, and the four shinobi were standing in front of it, their hands in some sort of seal. Blue energy seemed to be swirling around them, flowing slowly into the great serpent's mouth carved in the mechanism. The serpent's eyes were glowing a brighter shade of red by the second, meaning that the gate was opening!

Maiev stood transfixed as the humans transferred their magical energy into the lock. She knew that it was a matter of time before they succeeded in opening the gate, thereby letting the Betrayer free after more than ten centuries of imprisonment. She could not allow this to happen!

Suddenly, there was a deep, grinding sound. The gate was unlocking! The serpent's mouth closed, eyes flashing a brilliant red. A hissing sound filled the entire chamber and the gate, slowly swung outward. Maiev was gripping her weapon so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, her breath caught in her throat. The Betrayer was free! Still, hiding with her _Shadowmeld_, she could only watch as the four shinobi entered the room beyond through the gate.

In the darkened room:

Furido smiled as he approached the winged figure in the center of the dark cavern. Although they could only see his silhouette, they could tell just by the powerful ripples of chakra flowing out from his body that this was the Betrayer, Illidan Stormrage. Crouched in a meditative position, the former Demon Hunter no longer bore any resemblance to the Night Elf warrior he once was. As the clouds of dust and mist settled down, fresh air rushing into the cavern that was his prison, Illidan looked up slowly, turning his head in the direction of Furido and company. Saying nothing, he got up from his previous cross-legged position and drew himself up to his impressive two-metre height, demonic wings unfolding. The shinobi noted that Illidan appeared very calm and collected, as though he had expected them all along.

"Well?" Illidan said arrogantly, striding over to Furido. "Explain the meaning of this."

Fudo tensed, his hands bunching up into fists. The rest similarly, were looking edgy.

"Relax," Furido explained, waving to his comrades before switching his attention back to Illidan to address him," I mean you no ill intentions. Our master requires your assistance. Thus, we have freed you from your prison."

Illidan continued to keep the look of superiority plastered on his face. "I see," he scoffed," you humans are arrogant as always. Your race is forever in my debt, and yet you want my help?"

There was a threat concealed in his icy words that Furido was not quick to dismiss. Fuuka glared disgusted at Illidan. "How dare you!" She spat, throwing him a dirty look. "We freed you and al…"

She was cut off by Illidan who let out a bellow of rage, "You dare to challenge me!? I am the only reason why magical energy still exists in this world! I am the only reason why you humans and every other living thing can tap into what you call chakra and mana!" He drew back his taloned hands and raked Fuuka across the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards, shrieking. She collapsed, panting heavily onto the floor, blood seeping through her clothes.

Furido laughed nervously. "Hey now. We mean no disrespect at all. Please hear us out first!" His words appeared to calm the enraged Illidan down.

"Speak." Illidan commanded, turning away from Fuuka who was being helped to her feet by Fudo and Fuen.

"Let's get topside first." Furido nodded at Fuen.

"Wait." Fuuka gasped, clutching at her deep wound, the blood spilling over her fingers. She formed a hand seal. "_Shikashi Tensei_!" A second later, a cloud of ninja smoke concealed her, and when that cleared, there was not a single trace of her wound remaining. Even the torn parts of her clothes had disappeared.

Fuen and Fudo let go of her once they were sure she could stand unsupported. Illidan watched with mild interest as the long black-haired man drew out a long scroll and a brush of some sort. He started to sketch two rectangles on the blank paper, finishing up with a line below the two shapes. Forming a hand seal, Fuen cast his summoning jutsu and a pillar of rock smashed out of the ground with a tremendous rumbling sound, punching through the roof of the cavern with devastating force, revealing the tempest outside. A second pillar of rock rose out of the ground below all of them, lifting them into the air and out onto the wrecked roof of the Great Temple.

Illidan stepped toward the edge of the roof, maneuvering around some rubble. He breathed in the rich, ocean air and turned back to Furido and company. The island was still battered by the gale-force winds and rain. The sea was a raging sheet of dark blue, and the sky was a horrific shade of grey. 'If anything, this weather is even worse than when we got here…oh well.' Furido thought, approaching the Betrayer, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Betrayer." Illidan spoke suddenly.

His face twisted into a look of pure hatred. "In truth I was the one who was betrayed. They said that I had committed the greatest sin. But now, my blind eyes can see what others cannot. I have given this whole world _life_! But, even now… I can see that this world is in such a pathetic state. My magic has instead been shunned by my own race, and humans have used it to further their own petty disagreements. What is this? Is this the destiny of Azeroth?"

Illidan's expression hardened. "The wrong must be righted. This world…needs to be cleansed!"

Suddenly, a voice from behind him broke into his thoughts.

"Well then, Illidan. We may have much in common after all."

Author's Note: Yay...my first cliffhanger! Thanks for reading once again, and stay tuned!


	5. The Alliance

**Title**: Naruto Shippuden Evolution

**Book one**: Rise of the Betrayer – Chapter four: The Alliance

**Author's note:** This story takes place in the world of Azeroth during the Naruto Shippuden time period. It is a crossover between Warcraft, Naruto and Avatar but the main focus will be on Naruto and his adventures. It is mostly an adventure story, but I may consider a few pairings later on. Please review so I can write better! Also, please beware of spoilers! **Note: **_words in italics are either jutsus or spells. _The crossover of Naruto, Avatar and Warcraft has finally arrived in this chapter! Read on!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, Warcraft or Avatar. All three are properties of their owners, Masashi Kishimoto, Blizzard, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko respectively.

**The Maelstrom: **

Illidan slowly turned around, taking in the sight of an elderly male human with bandages crisscrossing his face, torso and hands. He looked extremely frail, standing with the help of a cane. Illidan however, knew better than judge someone by his or her appearances. Past experiences as a Demon Hunter had taught him that.

"Go on." Illidan said tersely, not liking the concept of listening to an 'inferior' being.

The hazy astral projection of Danzo smiled. "Illidan Stormrage. You have much in common with me. Both of us were great…err…men in our time, but despite all our contributions to our respective societies, we were cast aside by those whom we had respected and fought for."

Illidan almost raised an eyebrow as he tried to think of what this man looked like back when he was 'great'. For the very first time, his imagination failed him and he turned his attention back to Danzo.

"You helped to bring magic into our world and fought against the demonic invaders of the Burning Legion many centuries ago, and I was my village's greatest general during the Second Great Shinobi War," Danzo paused briefly to savor that memory, before continuing with a much greater degree of anger in his voice," but what did our people do? They left you caged beneath the earth, to rot in the darkness while I was repeatedly denied the position of Hokage, the village leader!"

Danzo's words made Illidan subconsciously bring up the memory of his twin brother yelling and striking him, sealing him into his subterranean prison, a memory he sorely detested. Illidan scowled impatiently, not needing any reminder of this. Reaching out with a taloned hand, he tried grabbing the man by the neck to make him hurry up his little pep talk but predictably, his hand passed right through the projection.

"I grow impatient…" Illidan warned, clenching his fists and half-turning away from Danzo.

"And so, let me tell you about my little proposition."

Illidan turned back to the smirking projection of Danzo and replied coldly," What can you possibly interest me with, human?"

"It is common knowledge that you played a pivotal role in the defeat of the Burning Legion when they invaded this world. And their masters are not very pleased by your…inteference."

A flicker of fear passed through Illidan's face. The former Demon Hunter had powerful magic at his disposal and had obtained demonic powers, but he was nothing compared to the might of a full-fledged demon.

Danzo smiled. He had Illidan's attention now. "The Burning Legion has since recovered its strength after these few thousand years, and is ready to invade this world again."

"What…what does this have to do with me?" Illidan breathed heavily, trying to hide his fear but failing completely.

"I will get to that in no time," Danzo assured him, before continuing," The Burning Legion has since learned from its mistakes and is now planning to start a war between the defenders of this world to weaken them first. Fractured and splintered by internal fighting, there is no way humanity, now the dominant force in this world, can stand up to the might of the Legion when they finally invade. To accomplish this, the Legion is seeking the help of certain individuals of great power such as you and myself."

At this point, Illidan would have scoffed at Danzo's proclamation of his own 'greatness' but he was too preoccupied at the moment.

"The Legion has decided to spare you from their wrath by tasking you with starting another great war."

"How?"

"You will summon a powerful comet to pass over Azeroth. Called Sozin's Comet by the people of my nation, it will grant my people's warriors with unlimited strength, allowing them to attack the other human nations unopposed. By the time the comet passes, most of the other human nations will be devastated, and my nation will be the most powerful one on this planet. When the Burning Legion invades to finish the takeover of this world, my nation will be the sole, chosen one to rule over this world, with me as its leader! And you shall stand as a master if the Legion yourself!"

Danzo had a crazed look in his eyes as he imagined himself as the ruler of the new world. Illidan was visibly shocked. This human…he thought, was indeed much more than he seemed. Cunning, power-hungry…he is just like me. Although much less handsome, Illidan mused as an afterthought, a ghost of a smile flickering over his features. The prospect of having full, unlimited demon powers appealed greatly to him. The hunger for power he was experiencing now was almost uncontrollable!

"And now," Danzo said with a tone of finality," I shall be waiting with my nation's leader for you to carry out your duties…we will be waiting for the glorious day when the comet arrives, when we march upon the gates of every continent, destroying all who oppose us. It will be a glorious day Illidan, one in which we finally take our place as the rulers of the world!"

Danzo's projection flickered and disappeared, leaving his four shinibi minions, shocked into awe at his ambitious plan, in front of the demonic night elf.

Illidan drew himself up to his full height, a newfound sense of purpose, resolve and adrenaline coursing through him. He knew what he had to do. He knew the chaos he was about to bring to Azeroth. And he loved the thought of it.

Grinning devilishly, Illidan turned to face the four who freed him. "Really nice plan the two of you got there." Furido smiled casually, a little unnerved by Illidan's sudden aura of malicious intent.

"Indeed." Illidan said. "But first I need to recover my strength and summon my new army from the ocean depths…and all of you will do just nicely."

"What?" The four shinobi exclaimed, obviously not believing they heard Illidan properly. Fudo and Fuen even got into a battle stance while Furido was finally shocked out of his calm, laid-back attitude. What was going on?

Before they could react however, Illidan's hand shot out in their direction and opened his palm, his fingers spread out as if grabbing at them.

"_Mana Burn!_" Four bolts of negative green energy shot out of his hand, striking the four unfortunate shinobi. Their chakra was completely evaporated in an instant, killing them at once. Before their bodies even fell and hit the ground, Illidan was already absorbing their chakra, which was blasted into the air by his spell. The magical essence rejuvenated him, and power flooded through his veins, making him feel truly alive for the first time in over ten thousand years. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, feeling his strength returning.

Turning his attention back to the rough, churning seas in front of him, he began weaving an intricate spell, casting a thunderbolt into the ocean. The ocean continued to rise and fall, until dark shapes appeared beneath the waves, which began to move toward the shore.

Illidan smiled. His army had arrived.

**Author's note: **Finally, we see how the three anime/cartoon/game are going to connect! Sorry for the super-long wait, but this story is finally going to be continued, so stay tuned!


End file.
